


Holding Hands While The Walls Come Tumbling Down

by the_technicolor_whiscash



Category: Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Genre: First Kiss, I have no excuses for this. None., M/M, Mutual Pining, Slight Internalized Homophobia, Slow Burn, accidentally seeing the other person nude, aquarium visits, it takes place two years after their day off, museum visits, post-canon: college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:28:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22813105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_technicolor_whiscash/pseuds/the_technicolor_whiscash
Summary: Cameron receives a call from Ferris, stating that he’s broken up with Sloane, and that he really wants Cameron to come to Chicago. Cameron wants to tell him no, but he just can’t turn Ferris down. As they explore the city, they find out things about each other that they had never known before.
Relationships: Ferris Bueller/Cameron Frye
Comments: 6
Kudos: 155





	Holding Hands While The Walls Come Tumbling Down

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. Yeah. So, I’ve written 22 pages of Ferris Bueller fanfiction in 2 days after having not published a fic in literal months. I have no excuses. Also, I am heavily projecting onto Ferris. I am sorry.  
> It’s sort of a college au but it’s meant to be a continuation of the story so it’s not really an au? I don’t know.

Cameron stared out of his window, contemplating everything and nothing. He was two years into college now, two years after that day he would never forget. The day that changed his life forever. The day his father would never let him live down. 

He didn’t regret what had happened. No, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities he experienced were now cherished memories, moments shared between him, Sloane, and Ferris. He did somewhat regret kicking the car. It was a juvenile response to a lot of pent-up anger, resentment, and rage towards his father, which resulted in a car getting destroyed and Cameron having to live in Ferris’s attic for a few weeks until his father stopped threatening to kill him. 

It was also the reason why Cameron was now going to Stanford, 2,000 miles away from his shitbag father. And why he was studying psychology to become a therapist. Just because nobody helped him doesn’t mean he couldn’t help others out of situations like his.

And it wasn’t that nobody helped him. Ferris did, and Sloane to an extent. But Ferris, he was always there. Always offering to get Cameron out of bed, out of the house, and into the great unknown. Ferris brought Cameron places he wouldn’t have even dreamed of going, and forced him outside of his comfort zone in all the best ways. 

Indeed, Cameron wasn’t surprised that he fell in love with him. 

Cameron had always sort of known he was gay, deep down. He never really understood why boys would chase after girls in school, until it occurred to him one day that he might have different preferences. Of course, he never told a soul. With a father like his, he never wanted to even bring up a low grade on a homework assignment, much less something like this. 

The only other human being who knew was Sloane. She had figured it out in their sophomore year (her freshman), mainly because he wasn’t nearly as much of an ass to women as the rest of the guys were. He made her promise not to tell anyone, not even Ferris. Nobody in the Hadean hellscape that was high school could know. 

College was different. Cameron could express himself more, in a world much less confining than high school. There was still a fair amount of judgement, of course, especially from his more conservatively-minded classmates, but now, he didn’t feel quite so alone. There was a community of other gay people on and around campus, so if he looked, he could find a like-minded person. 

Nonetheless, he was still lonely. He had to keep his identity hidden from most, which didn’t really present a boon to his self-esteem. And he missed his friends from high school. Sloane was going to college in New York to study fashion, and Ferris was in Chicago studying business, though Cameron was sure it wasn’t right for him. Ferris wouldn’t be content just working in an office all day. He needed to be in front of a crowd, to have all of the attention turned on him as he pulled another wild stunt. 

Cameron sighed. He had gotten over his crush on Ferris, or at least he thought he had. It had been months since he had seen him over the summer, and Ferris didn’t call frequently, so it gave Cameron time to pull himself away and focus his attention elsewhere.

He missed Ferris, though. Ferris had been his best friend for almost his whole life, and they had been inseparable all throughout school. To live so far away from him felt like he was ending an era. It made him sad. 

Cameron was so lost in his thoughts he nearly didn’t realize that the phone was ringing. 

“Hello?” Cameron asked, picking up the phone in a rush and nearly knocking it off the wall.

“Cameron, thank god. Are you busy?” It was Ferris. He sounded frantic, in a way unlike Cameron had ever heard him.

“No, I’ve just been working on homework. Why?”

“How quickly can you get to Chicago?”

Cameron frowned. “Why do I need to go to Chicago?”

“Because, I just…” Ferris’s voice cracked, “I broke up with Sloane.”

That was unexpected, though not entirely. Long-distance relationships are always rough, especially in college. “Oh no, Ferris, I’m so sorry. What happened?”

“She said it was nothing against me, but she was living in a brand new city with brand new people and just felt like being long-distance wasn’t working for her.” Ferris sniffed. He was clearly holding back tears. “And I understand, I do. But I told her I was going to marry her. I wanted to marry her.”

A chronic issue with high school relationships is that once people reach college, they realize that they have a lot of options. And, as stunning of a person that Ferris is, it made sense that Sloane might want some more variety, especially living in New York. But he wasn’t going to tell Ferris that. “Well, she doesn’t deserve you, if she’s gonna treat you like that.”

“I thought she was the one. The one I was gonna spend the rest of my life with. We were going to have the kind of relationships that the Victorians wrote about in their romance novels. And now… it’s over.”

“I hate to sound corny, but there’s plenty of fish in the sea. You’re a great guy, I’m sure you’ll find someone who you can have that Victorian romance with.”

“I know. But she was my fish.”

Cameron felt his stomach drop. Ferris really loved Sloane. And right now, Ferris would need all the help he could get in order to get over her. “Are you alright? Do you really want me to come to Chicago?”

“No, no. I’m overreacting, I know it. I’ll just have to eat a gallon of ice cream, cry myself to sleep, and it’ll be fine. Years from now, you, me, and Sloane will be laughing about this at our 50th high school reunion.”

“I’m not talking about years from now, I’m talking about now. Are you ok?”

“I… no. Truthfully, I am quite upset. But I’ll get over it.” A brief pause. “Would you really come to Chicago for me?”

“If I thought you were really depressed, then yeah, I’d come to Chicago.”

“That’s very kind of you. I think everybody should have a friend willing to cross the country for you, or you’d cross the country for them.” Ferris sighed. Cameron could imagine him in his dorm, laying upside-down in a chair, staring out the window. “I miss high school. It was so much less complicated.”

“I don’t. I never have to be around my dad in college.”

“Oh, good point. It does afford a certain freedom which high school does not. I could go out and buy cocaine off the street without my parents even knowing.”

“Ferris, you were on a parade float lip-syncing to Twist and Shout without your parents knowing.”

“That I had to plan for. College requires much less planning. If I wanted to be in a parade now, I wouldn’t need to fake illness. I could just do it.” Ferris cleared his throat. “So I take it that’s a no for coming to Chicago.”

“It’s a Tuesday night. I have class tomorrow.”

Ferris paused for a moment. “Got any fun weekend plans?”

He did have plans, but they involved drinking a little too much with people he didn’t really like. So, no, he had no plans. “You want me to come to Chicago this weekend.”

“Yes! We can visit some museums and see the sights, just like old times.”

“I don’t know. It’s a lot for just one weekend, and I’m kind of busy-”

“It’s Columbus Day this weekend, so you’ve got three days instead of two. Come on, Cameron. It’ll be fun.”

Cameron sighed. It was a lot of money, and he really should be getting a jump start on work. But then, of course, Ferris had to say the magic word.

“Please.”

“Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll come visit you in Chicago last-minute like some kind of insane person.”

“Oh, Cameron, you’re a gem. Really, I don’t know what I’d do without a friend like you.”

Cameron often wondered why Ferris kept him around, when Ferris attracted many more interesting people to his circle of friends, many of whom likely are better at the whole consoling thing than Cameron was. Perhaps it was sentimentality. Either way, Cameron didn’t complain. “Eh, you’d just commit acts of chaos on your own.”

“That’s why I need you as a buffer. To keep me from doing things a step too absurd.”

“Oh, so I’m your conscience then. That’s reassuring.” Cameron smiled. “Listen, I’ll try and catch a flight this Friday. I’ll call you from the airport.”

“Fantastic. Thank you. I mean it.”

“I know you do.”

Cameron hung up the phone and sighed. He really shouldn’t be flying halfway across the country to visit his friend just because he’s sad. But as bad of an influence as Ferris could be, he often reminded Cameron to get out and enjoy life. And he always enjoyed spending time with Ferris. 

\---------------

Of course, the only flight Cameron could snag was a red-eye that arrived in Chicago at 3 am. He expected to have to catch a cab to Ferris’s dorm, but no, of course, there was the man himself, half-asleep, leaning against a pole. Even in his exhausted state, Ferris was still the most attractive man in the room. 

Ferris perked up as soon as he saw him, running over to catch him in a quick hug which certainly made Cameron think twice about whether or not he had actually gotten over that crush. “Cameron! You, sir, are a sight for sore eyes.” 

“That’s not something I hear every day.”

“Well, you should. You deserve it.” Ferris’s smile was sincere, but quickly turned into something more playful. “Now, I’ve got some fun planned for us. Come this way.”

“Ferris, there’s no words to describe to you how nervous that makes me.”

“Just trust me.”

He did trust him. Ferris had never led him wrong, even when he was doing something stupid. 

“Now,” Ferris began, as they stepped outside, “when was the last time you rode in a limo?”

“It’s been a while.” Cameron couldn’t help but smile at the stretch limo taking up most of the street in front of them. “Did you really get this for me?”

“And for me. You know, I’ve just gone through a breakup, it’s time for a little mindless spending.”

“That’s not a healthy coping mechanism.”

“I never said it was. Now, hop in.”

The limo was exactly like the type you see in the movies, with a small bar, velvet-covered seats, and cheesy lights all along the length of the interior. It made Cameron feel like a mob boss. 

Ferris picked up a bottle of champagne from the bar and uncorked it. They were underage, but Cameron had a feeling that Ferris had found a way around that with the limo driver. He poured two glasses, handing one to Cameron. Ferris held his up, proclaiming, “A toast to you, my good sir.”

“Why me?”

“Because you flew 2,000 miles across the country just because I went through a breakup. So, if anybody deserves a toast, it’s you.”

Cameron felt his stomach drop again. Yes, he certainly had not gotten over that crush. In fact, it had come back in a wave crashing over him, causing his heart to race and his face to immediately turn red. “I don’t deserve it, but thank you.”

“Cameron, you’re the psych major. You know that’s just your brain telling you that.”

Cameron sighed, downing a few sips of the champagne in the hopes that it would make the experience more bearable. Instead, it only served to make him feel even warmer. “I know. And I know it’s because of growing up with my dad, and how he was perpetually up my ass, making me feel like shit. Like I wasn’t good enough.” Cameron sat back, staring into his glass. “You know, Ferris, you’re one of the only people in my life who have only ever been nice to me. Or, if you were mean, it was in my best interest. You could’ve been an ass just like everybody else, but you went out of your way to be friends with me.”

“Of course. I try to be friends with everybody, you included.”

“But why me specifically? I’ve never been anybody special.”

“Because, because high school… It’s all a popularity game. Get the most friends, have the best clothes, drive the nicest car. But from day one, I knew you weren’t into that kind of nonsense. You were just you. Not trying to impress anyone, or act like you were better than anyone else. I felt like I could be myself around you. And I still do.”

“You were always popular, though. Even without trying.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I was always happy. Why do you think I skipped school so often? Sure, I enjoyed learning, and the merit of it, but when it comes down to it, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is hanging out with the people you like. For me, that was you and Sloane.”

“Oh.” 

They fell into silence, and it was at that moment that Cameron realized he needed to come out to Ferris. Sure, it might cause some tension for a little bit, but Cameron trusted Ferris wholeheartedly, and he knew from that conversation that Ferris wouldn’t judge him. He wanted Ferris to know that side of him. 

“Ferris, there’s something I’ve been meaning to-”

Cameron was cut off by the limo door opening. Apparently, they had reached their destination. Cameron wanted to slap himself in the face. 

They headed up to Ferris’s dorm, which was the typical dorm-style building. However, this dorm differed from Cameron’s slightly, in that it seemed to have a lot more windows. It probably let in a lot of natural light during the day. Not that they could experience it now, at 3 in the morning. 

The elevator just kept going up, up, up, until it reached the very top floor. Cameron expected it to open into a hallway, but instead, the doors opened right out to the roof. 

“I wish I could say that there were fireworks, or a meteor shower, or even the moon,” Ferris said as they stepped out of the elevator, “but at least we have this lovely little garden space.”

Indeed it was lovely. It was less of a roof and more of a terrace, with plants covering most of the area. A small patio resided in the middle of it, with a pergola covered in vines and lights standing atop in. “Oh, wow. This is great.”

“I come up here a lot at night to get work done, or just to think. I’ve noticed that if you sit still for long enough, you can convince yourself that the sounds of the city are the sounds of a river instead.”

Cameron walked across the patio, the smell of plants and fresh dirt overpowering the stench of the city. “I didn’t even know you could do something like this. It’s amazing.”

“A few of the buildings on campus have rooftop gardens, but this one’s my favorite.” Ferris stared off into the distance. “I wanted to propose to Sloane here. I guess that’s never happening.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. Or, at least, I feel it. She and I, we just weren’t meant to be.”

A poetry major. That would suit him much better. 

“But, enough sadness. We should probably actually get to sleep, since it’s approaching 4, and I have lots of surprises planned for tomorrow.”

“Nothing too risky, I hope?”

“Don’t worry, Cam. I’ve got everything under control.”

Ferris’s room was small. He had managed to be one of the lucky few to snag a single, which meant that he sacrificed square footage in exchange for not having a roommate. It felt almost suffocatingly close, even though it wasn’t much smaller than Cameron’s own dorm. But he would have to suck it up and deal with it for the next few nights. 

“You take the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor.” Ferris said, plopping some pillows down onto the carpet. 

“No, I’ll take the floor. You just went through a breakup, you don’t need that.”

“But you’re my guest. You flew across the country to get here. Clearly, you should get the bed.”

“I didn’t have to fly here. I agreed to. And really, I don’t mind the floor.”

“Neither do I.”

“Fine, then we both sleep on the floor.”

They both looked at the floor. Then, they looked up at each other. The floor was not a great option. 

“I mean,” Ferris scratched his head, looking embarrassed for possibly the first time in his life, “we could probably both fit into the bed.”

Alarms began going off in Cameron’s head. If Ferris knew… he probably wouldn’t have even thought about that option. “It’s… It’s a small bed.”

“Come on, are you so insecure in your masculinity that you won’t sleep in the same bed as another man?”

“No, it’s just-”

“Then there’s no problem.” Ferris kicked his shoes off and leapt into bed, squeezing himself to one side. “It’s four in the morning. We have more important things to be worried about.”

Hell, he was right. After a brief existential crisis, Cameron took his shoes off and climbed into bed beside Ferris. He did his best to take up as little space as possible, facing away from Ferris so that he couldn’t tell what kinds of emotions were running through Cameron’s head. 

“Goodnight, Cameron.” Ferris’s voice spoke.

“G’night, Ferris.”

\-------------

Cameron awoke feeling sweaty, sore, and exhausted. Going to bed at four in the morning was just a bad idea. Two grown men sleeping in one twin bed was also a bad idea. And one of those men being in love with the other really makes for a bitter icing on the shitty-experience cake.

Cameron checked his watch. 9:00. He had gotten a delightful five hours of sleep, which was surely going to be great for his body and his emotions. 

Ferris was apparently already up, seeming to be fresh as a daisy. “Rise and shine! I’ve got breakfast reservations for us at a really nice place nearby.”

“Ugh.” Cameron pulled the covers up over his face. “Can I get six more hours?”

“It’s just like my grandmother used to say, you’ll sleep when you’re dead.”

“Yeah, but you’ll be dead if you don’t sleep.”

“You can get a cup of coffee at the restaurant.” 

Cameron groaned, rolling out of bed. “Fine. But tomorrow I get to sleep in.”

“That’s a deal.”

Breakfast was at a rather nice breakfast buffet, and Cameron felt slightly underdressed. Then again, given how they must’ve looked when they were visiting Chez Quis, this was nothing. 

Cameron still hadn’t gotten a chance to come out to Ferris, and it was weighing on his mind. It wasn’t like he had to tell him, of course, but Ferris deserved to know. He was his closest friend, after all. 

After breakfast, they hopped on the train and headed to the Art Institute of Chicago. The museum was one of Cameron’s favorite parts of their day off. Even though they had seen and done so many wonderful things, there was just something about the art that spoke to Cameron. It had truly taken his mind off of his worries back then, and it surely would help with it now. 

Cameron found himself drawn back to A Sunday On La Grande, the pointilism painting he had found fascinating those two long years ago. And he still found it stunning, with the thousands of individual little dots coming together to create a whole. It was like a city, with thousands of people coming together to make a population, or even just an individual, with thousands of little intricacies coming together to make a person. It was reassuring, somehow. 

“Still love this one, huh?” Ferris asked, at Cameron’s side. 

“Yeah. I don’t know, something about it just resonates with me.”

“It’s nice. Makes you wonder what it’s like to be in Paris.”

Cameron nodded.

“We should go to Paris sometime. You and me. Have a European vacation. Maybe we could make it like a grand tour, galavanting across Europe, seeing the sights and getting to know the roots of western civilization.”

“That seems like a lot, even for you. I mean, where would we find the time?”

“Over the summer, or over winter break.”

“I have to get a job over the summer.”

Ferris frowned. “Really? Why?”

“My dad’s paying for most of my school, but not all of it. And I do wanna keep myself busy when I don’t have classes.”

“We can keep ourselves busy travelling across the European continent. And, hey, I’ve always wanted to visit Asia. I think you’d really like it there.”

“Ferris.” Cameron finally turned his attention from the painting to him. “You can’t keep going like this. Eventually your family will stop funding your excursions, or you’ll find a woman you like and finally settle down. A months-long trek across Europe and Asia, it’s just not realistic.”

Ferris looked as though Cameron might as well have slapped him across the face. It hurt Cameron to see. “You don’t know that. Maybe I’ll be a wealthy bachelor for the rest of my life and spend all my days traveling. I love Chicago, but I need to see the world. You and Sloane, you’ve gotten out. I’m still stuck here. Even if it’s not realistic, even if there’s not a snowball’s chance in Hell I’m going to be able to do it, I’ve gotta dream.”

Cameron was confused. Ferris always seemed so happy and content in Chicago. What had changed? “You mean you didn’t want to go to college in Chicago?”

“No! I applied to so many places. I applied to schools in New York. I applied to Stanford. Hell, I applied to colleges in Boston and Seattle and Florida. I didn’t get accepted to most of them. I definitely didn’t get accepted to Stanford. And my parents, since they wanted me to pick a more economical option, just had me go to school in Chicago. Everyone I care about, everyone I love has moved somewhere else. And I’m stuck in the Windy City.” Ferris rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes beginning to turn red. “I’m really happy for you guys, I’m just more lonely than I could have even imagined. And now, this business with Sloane has made it even worse.”

Cameron wasn’t quite sure about what to do, so he went with his gut. He put his arms around Ferris and pulled him into a hug. Ferris seemed momentarily surprised, but quickly got over it and buried his nose into the crook of Cameron’s neck. Thankfully, the museum was rather empty, so nobody could see them. 

“I really miss you, Cam.” Ferris muttered, and Cameron felt tears prickling in his eyes. But he needed to hold himself together for Ferris’s sake. 

“I know. I know. And I’m sorry. I would’ve visited more often if I had known you were so upset.”

“It’s not your fault. I never told you.”

“Humans are social creatures, especially you. It’s no wonder the isolation’s made you so lonely.”

Cameron could feel Ferris smile against his skin, and it sent shivers down his spine. “Look at you, Mr Psych Major. Diagnosing me with lonely disease.”

“Listen, you know, you can call me anytime, day or night, if you just need to talk. I know you’d do the same for me.”

“Thank you, Cameron. You’re too good to me.”

They stood there like that for a little while longer, Cameron just holding Ferris. Admittedly, it was something Cameron had thought about in the past. Something Cameron had fantasized about, in his late-night dreams when all rational thought has been discarded. And God, was it nice, to just be able to hold another human being after so many years of fleeing from touch. 

“Hey, Ferris?” 

Ferris didn’t move. “Yeah, Cameron?”

“I’m gay.”

“Oh. Yeah, I kind of figured that. I just didn’t want to assume.”

“How did you know?”

“You never hit on Sloane, and at first, I thought it was because you were just being respectful. But then I realized you never hit on any girls, and I just sort of put the pieces together.”

“Huh. Yeah, that would do it.” Cameron’s heart rate picked up again, but this time, it was out of nervousness. “So you, uh, you don’t mind?”

“Why would I mind? You’re my friend, I’m not going to judge you just because you don’t find women attractive.”

“I’m glad. I’ve, well, I’ve had some bad experiences in the past because of it. But I wanted you to know.”

“Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. I’m really flattered by that.” Ferris adjusted his position so that his chin rested on Cameron’s shoulder. “And, if I’m being entirely honest, I also have not disclosed a certain part of my identity.”

Cameron furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, since it seems to be the right time to come out, that I am bisexual. I know it might be hard to believe, since I’ve only ever dated women, but it’s… something I just know.”

“I get it. Believe me, I get it.”

“Sloane knew, but nobody else does. Just, with how my family is, I’ve been-”

“Hesitant?”

“Exactly. I know they’ll still love me for who I am and what have you, but I’m sure that deep down inside my parents will hope I end up with a nice girl to raise a family with.”

“What about Jeanie?”

“Oh, Jeanie won’t care. She’s bi too, and I only know that because last year I spotted her sneaking out of a girl’s room in the middle of the night, and when I asked her about it, she spilled everything.”

“Bi twins, what are the chances.”

“I know. It’s a wild coincidence.” Ferris paused. “Are you dating anyone?”

“Not right now. It’s hard, even in California.”

Ferris craned his neck, and for a moment, Cameron wondered what the hell he was doing. Apparently he was checking the time. “As much as I’ve enjoyed our heartwarming cry in the middle of an art museum, we have lots to do and not much time.”

Cameron unlatched himself from Ferris, instantly missing the contact. “What’s next?”

Ferris winked, and you could not pay him to stop being charming. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Following Ferris like a shadow, Cameron and Ferris headed out into the city, eventually ending up at the Shedd Aquarium. Cameron hadn’t been there in years, not since a middle school field trip. There was something melancholic to him about fish in tanks. Though, he might’ve only thought that because of his own experience. He spent most of his life feeling like a fish trapped in a tank. 

They meandered aimlessly through the museum, eventually coming upon the Carribean Reef exhibit. It was positively filled with brightly colored fish, sharks, and even a sea turtle. Despite the fact it was filled with life, it seemed so peaceful. 

“Apparently that fish,” Ferris pointed towards a shiny, long fish, “has been here since 1935. Imagine that, being in an aquarium since before the second world war.”

“It doesn’t seem to mind living next to those sharks.”

“Sharks won’t bother you if they’re fed. And I think that it could probably hold its own if a shark decided it was hungry.”

Cameron nodded. His eyes followed the fish until it swam out of sight, when he noticed a diver jump into the tank. He assume it was just feeding time, but then, the diver pulled out a sign that said _Welcome Cameron!_

Cameron’s eyes widened, and he turned to Ferris. “Did you…?”

“I had a hand in it, yeah.” Ferris grinned. “Anyone can pay them to do it, so I figured this was a special enough occasion.” 

“Wow.” Cameron waved at the diver with the sign, and the diver waved back. “You should come and visit me sometime. There’s a lot of things I’d like to show you in California. Though, I’m not sure I could plan something quite as special as this.”

“I know you can, if you put your mind to it. Give yourself some credit.” Ferris paused. “Does your family know you’re in the city?”

“No. They barely know what I do anymore. It’s for the best.”

“Makes sense. And you know, if you ever miss Chicago, you can always stay with me. Hell, even over breaks, if you wanna get out of your house, my door is always open.”

“Thanks. Yeah, after that whole business with the car, my dad kind of hates me. It’s not like it’s my fault he treated the car like the son he always wanted.”

“I’m still so sorry about that. I mean, it was me who wanted to take the car out anyway. I-”

“Don’t apologize. It was a wake-up call. It made me realize I was tired of getting stepped on. Never apologize for that.” Cameron pressed his face against the glass of the fish tank, staring into the eyes of the 50 year old fish. “Do fish pee?”

“I imagine they must, since they do live underwater. They’re constantly drinking, so I would assume they’re constantly peeing.”

“Weird.” 

For a few minutes, they stood there, experiencing the faux reef in all of its glory. But eventually, Ferris ushered them onto another exhibit. This one was the beluga exhibit, and it was feeding time for the whales. They excitedly swam around, chirping to the audience and performing a variety of tricks. 

They sat in the front row nearest the tank, which was conveniently labeled the “splash zone.” Cameron didn’t believe it, until a beluga looked him right in the eye and sprayed water at him. 

“Ew! Whale spit!” Cameron yelled, before laughing. “When they said it was the splash zone, I didn’t actually think I’d be splashed.”

“Wh- Did you think they just called it that for fun?”

“I just figured since they were the best seats, they… Never mind.”

Ferris laughed. Then, he got sprayed in the face, quickly ending his revelries. 

“Karma comes for you, doesn’t it?” Cameron said, as Ferris wiped a hand down his face. 

“Ha ha.”

Suddenly, a wave crashed over them. A literal wave, caused by the tail flukes of the belugas all splashing at once, and the meaning of splash zone became infinitely more clear. 

Cameron coughed as water dripped from his hair into his mouth. “Ok, splash zone, it’s called that for a reason.”

“I would say it’s fair to believe that now, yes.” Ferris tried squeezing the water out of his hair, but it didn’t do much. “I think our next stop will be my dorm, as I don’t really feel like continuing our adventures soaking wet.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

\------------------

Cameron sat on Ferris’s bed, aimlessly flipping through Ferris’s copy of the Great Gatsby. They had returned to Ferris’s dorm, and Cameron had already had his turn in the shower, rinsing off the aquarium water that very likely had whale pee in it. He was waiting for Ferris to finish up, and figured he’d kill time with Gatsby, since it was one of the many books Ferris had on his shelf.

Though he had read the Great Gatsby in high school, Cameron felt like he had never been truly able to appreciate it until he became an adult. It was a good book, and he related in a lot of ways to Nick, the narrator. They both followed in the footsteps of a much more impressive, sociable figure who knew how to have a good time. Gatsby’s parties, Cameron felt, were similar to Ferris’s day off, in that it was an escape from reality into a world much different from Nick’s or Cameron’s own. 

Ferris emerged from the steaming bathroom, and-

_Oh, no._

He was still nude.

Yes, he had a towel wrapped around his waist, and one around his hair, but that was it. Apparently in his time in college Ferris had been working out, since he now had something approaching abs. Cameron tried not to stare, but it was taking far too much effort. 

_Come on, Cam. Don’t do this. Not with your best friend._

Cameron forced himself to look back down at his book, turning bright red. He didn’t say anything as Ferris rummaged through his drawers for clothes. He felt acutely aware of every muscle in his body, of every molecule of air in the room that seemed to be leaving his lungs all at once. And oh, no, he could see the very top of his ass. It left very little to be imagined. And imagine he did.

Ferris retreated back into the bathroom, and Cameron finally felt like he could breathe again. Disaster had been averted, nothing to worry about. He was still going to worry, but logically, he knew there was nothing to worry about. 

“Sorry about that.” Ferris said as he walked back into the room, now safely clothed. “I’m not used to having someone here.”

“It’s fine,” Cameron’s voice squeaked. He tried desperately to look at the book and not up at Ferris, as if he hadn’t been acutely examining Ferris’s abdominal muscles mere moments before. 

“I did have further plans for this afternoon, but given our whale situation, it seems like we won’t have time.”

“That’s a shame.”

“It is. I have dinner reservations for us in a few hours, but until then, we’ll have to find some way to kill time.”

“We could just go back to the museum, I guess.”

“Nah, I never do the same place twice in one day.” Ferris jumped up into the bed beside Cameron, leaning back against the wall. “Maybe the Navy Pier. Or is that too touristy?”

“Doesn’t matter to me. There’s the Field Museum.”

“We’re doing that one tomorrow. My original plans were to have us do an architectural cruise, but I think we missed that boat.”

“That’s alright. I’m scared of boats anyway.” 

“Are you actually scared of boats, or are you just scared of drowning?”

Cameron frowned. “I dunno. I’ve never thought about it like that.”

“I guess we’re all scared of death in one way or another.” 

There it was again. That way of speaking that Ferris had, where he sounded like he was quoting some renaissance writer’s dramatic play. “Ferris, why are you a business major?”

“Because,” Ferris stared pensively at the wall, “I couldn’t find anything I really liked, so I just settled with business. Why?”

“Because it sounds to me like you could probably change it to something that fits you better. Like philosophy, or poetry, or even English. You should do something that makes you happy. You of all people shouldn’t have to settle.”

“Philosophy. That might be fun, actually.”

“Yeah, and you could take that and… I don’t know, get a law degree or something. Or become a professor.” Cameron closed the book and set it aside, looking to Ferris. “Even if you’re miserable here, you can make it a little less miserable doing something you actually like.”

“Damn.” Ferris chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “You know more about what’s best for me than I do.”

“I’m a psych major. It comes with the territory. But really, Ferris, I think you have the potential to find something you enjoy doing, if you look for it. It might not be as fun as galavanting across Europe, but it’ll be something.”

“You’re right. Of course, you’re right.” Ferris slid closer to Cameron, and Cameron felt the temperature in the room skyrocket. It only got worse when Ferris took his hand. “Cam, you really and truly are the best friend a guy could ask for.”

Cameron had to remind himself how to speak. “It’s nothing more than you deserve.”

Something seemed to click in Cameron’s mind, causing time to slow. He realized that he was leaning towards Ferris, and Ferris was closing the gap.

Their lips touched, and time stopped. 

There was only one thought in Cameron’s mind, and it was how much he had wanted to do this. 

After what felt like both seconds and millennia, Cameron’s wits finally came back to him, and it occurred to him what he was actually doing. He was actually kissing Ferris, on Ferris’s actual bed, after spending the whole day actually running around the city like they were kids again. And he remembered just why he was here. It caused him to freeze up, pull away, and run a hand down his face.

“Hold on. Hold on. You just broke up with Sloane.”

Ferris nodded, a confused expression crossing his face. “Yes, that did happen.”

“How come immediately after you break up with your girlfriend, you suddenly decide you’re attracted to me?”

“Cameron, I can explain-”

“I don’t wanna be your rebound, alright? I wanna get that out of the way right now. I’m not gonna be someone you use for the moment and then throw away the second you get tired of me. I value my emotions too much to have them played with like that.”

“Cameron, please, just listen to me for a minute.” When he saw that Cameron wasn’t going to interrupt, Ferris continued. “I don’t want to treat you like that. I don’t think I ever could. You mean, genuinely, so much to me, and I would never want to hurt you.”

“That’s reassuring, but it still doesn’t explain where it’s coming from, right after you’ve broken up with Sloane.”

“It’s… It’s hard to explain. Sloane breaking up with me was a long time coming, I’ll admit that. We hadn’t even seen each other in months, before she called me out of the blue to break it off. And, yes, it did make me sad, but that’s not the reason why I’ve been so distraught. I was already lonely, as you’ve gathered, but Sloane breaking up with me was just the final nail in the coffin. All of my emotions came crashing down at once. That’s why I wanted you to come here. If you hadn’t picked up, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

Cameron’s face softened. Shit. He hadn’t expected that. “Oh, Ferris.”

“And you’ve always been there for me, even when Sloane wasn’t. You were always my first call, because I knew that if I pestered you enough, you’d agree to my plans. Remember how I said my bisexuality wasn’t something I had experienced, but just something I knew?”

“Yeah?”

“It was because of you, in a way. Because when we were younger, I felt closer to you than anyone else on the planet. I dated Sloane because I didn’t want to face the high school repercussions, and I did like her a lot. I still like her. But she and I, we’ve just gone our separate ways.” Ferris broke the seriousness by cracking a smile. “And I’m not going to lie, it was also because of Rob Lowe in the Outsiders, because damn. He could get it.”

Cameron laughed, shaking his head. “You’re something else, you know that?”

“I don’t want you to think I’ve done this just because I want to rebound. I couldn’t ever do that to you. And, if I do end up treating you like that, I give you permission to run me over with your car.”

“Do you promise I can run you over?”

“Yes, I promise. Just try not to hit my face. It’s my only virtue.” 

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

Ferris still looked worried, his eyes nervously scanning Cameron’s face. “Are we, uh, are we good?”

Cameron nodded. “We’re good.”

“And you didn’t hate the, uh-”

“I didn’t hate the kiss. I would’ve told you if I had hated it. It’s just,” Cameron took a deep breath, “I’ve had a crush on you for a long time. I’ve wanted to kiss you for years. I didn’t wanna have you raise my hopes up just to break my heart. I know you’re not the kind of person to do that, but I’m just… I’m nervous, is all.”

“You have every right to be. You’ve had a rough go of it. But I swear, on my mother’s life, I am not using you as a rebound. I truly and genuinely like you, and I think that maybe if, you know, if you wanted to, we could maybe date. Unless you don’t want that, and I completely understand if you don’t. But I just think, since we both seem to have that kind of shared attraction, it would make sense, in the grand scheme of things, for us to-”

“Hey, Ferris?”

Ferris froze. “Yeah?”

“Can you just shut up and kiss me again?”

“I…” Ferris seemed to realize what the “shut up” part of Cameron’s statement meant. Instead of continuing to ramble, he quickly put his lips back on Cameron’s, and Cameron didn’t feel quite so bad about kissing back. 

\-------------------

**Author's Note:**

> So I think I’m probably maybe gonna write another chapter for this but this was already so long that I just wanted to get it out and published before I lost steam and gave up on it.


End file.
